Teacher Man: How Garcia Put Rios on the Straight and Narrow

Former junior lightweight titlist Robert Garcia trains a stable of quality fighters at his Oxnard, Calif. retreat, among them his younger brother MIGUEL andANTONIO MARGARITO. But one suspects Garcia holds a special place in his heart for one fighter in particular: undefeated contender BRANDON RIOS. Rios was a troublemaker who was going everywhere but the right way. He was a challenge Garcia took head on.

Garcia stuck with Rios, playing a crucial role in placing the 24-year-old Texas native on the straight and narrow. A strong bond of the type only forged in the fires of conflict formed between the two. Now their commitment to each other and to the sport of boxing paid off: On SATURDAY, SEPT. 11, Rios faces in undefeated Washington, D.C. native ANTHONY PETERSON the toughest challenge, and biggest opportunity, of his career.

That fact is not lost on Garcia, of course, as we discovered during a recent phone chat. We talked with Garcia discussed Rios’ troubled past, the effect Rios has on others in the gym, and significance of a Rolex Garcia purchased during his days as a fighter.

How did you meet Brandon?

I met Brandon in 2004 at the Olympic Trials.

What made you decide to work with him?

I’d seen him fight and I approached him and I asked him, you know, if he would like to start a professional career in boxing. And he says, “Try me out. I’m ready.” I was first introduced to him by Victor Ortiz. I already had Victor Ortiz when I met Brandon, so he’s the one that told me about Brandon. So, that’s how everything started.

What impresses you about him, both as a fighter and as a man?

He’s just fun to be around. Everybody in the gym is always happy to see him. He’s one of the guys that trains the hardest in the gym. He motivates everybody else. If he’s got a sparring partner sparring with him, he’ll help him out and motivate him to spar harder. He’s got a great heart inside the ring and [is] also as a person.

He’s matured so much since he’s been here. He’s saving money for a house–just thinking different. When I first brought him over he was just a kid that was getting in trouble. Now, he seems different–HE’S GONNA GET MARRIED THIS WEEKEND. So he’s got plans now. He’s thinking of a future.

You spoke about his troubled past…. What did you say to him during that period?

Every time he would go home, the first thing I would hear from was either his mom or his dad–somebody related to him–calling me [and] telling me that he was in trouble again. He’s either locked up, or he got into a fight–just something bad. Every time he would go home, that was the first thing I would wait for: a call telling me that he was in trouble again.

I had to tell him: “Brandon, is this what you want for your future? … You gotta see good examples. You gotta see the fighters that take care of their money. You gotta see the guys around you. We hadSTEVEN LUEVANO, who was a world champion defending his title; he wasn’t going out crazy spending his money. He wasn’t partying. MY YOUNGER BROTHER, MIGUEL–never, never in any type of trouble. 

So he learned. Now I know he’s ready. A couple of years ago, I would have never wanted him on this type of fight yet, because wasn’t ready. But now, the way that he’s thinking, he’s matured, you know? I’m glad all this is happening for him right now. I’m glad this fight is on.

 

Rios (second from left) during a presser. His fight with Antillon (third from left) was canceled due to injury.

He was supposed to fight URBANO ANTILLON on the MARGARITO-GARCIA UNDERCARD, but of course that fell through due to an injury.

Yes, it was a cut over one of his eyes.

Did that happen during sparring?

Actually, the last day of sparring.

That must have been a tough one for him.

It was. He cried. He wanted to fight. He was like, “I don’t care, Robert, let’s go stitch it up. Three days, four days, we’ll take the stitches off. Nobody’s gonna know that I was cut.” And you know, of course I wasn’t gonna take him like that. But yeah, it was tough for him.

It must have been really heartbreaking … for you too.

Definitely. He’s my fighter, and when they go through that, I go through the same. We’re so close. So it hurt me too. To see him training for two months, training so hard and just the week before the fight something like that happening–of course, it’s something that hurts. But, hey, like I told Brandon: It’s part of the business. It’s part of boxing.  Just get your head straight, and good things are gonna happen. Watch. We’re gonna get a call and something bigger and better is gonna happen.  And … that’s what happened. They told us about [the] Peterson fight on HBO–just a great opportunity–and he’s ready for it.

Would you say this is the biggest fight of Brandon’s career?

Without a doubt. This is the fight that just opens every door for Brandon. He BEATS ANTHONY PETERSON ON HBO, he’ll be on top of the world.

Have you talked to him about how to handle the pressure of being in a fight like that?

He knows all that already. We’ve had good talks about that. That’s not even a problem for him. He’s ready for that. He’s excited. He wants it so bad. Everything should good well.

 

From left to right: Luevano, Rios, Garcia, and his younger brother, Miguel.

What advantages do you think Brandon has over Anthony?

I’ve been studying Anthony. And he’s a very talented fighter. I just think that Brandon has the ability to stay on him for 12 rounds and just wear him down.

And Brandon’s a very aggressive fighter. Have you talked about that during training camp?

Every single round, every single minute [when we’re] in the gym, that’s what we’re working on. And I’ll be doing that in the fight, too. Not only the minute break, but during the fight he’ll be hearing me. That’s what Brandon needs during the fight. During the fight, we gotta scream at him. “Chin down!” “Hand’s up!” “Move your head!” We gotta keep reminding him or else he’ll just go all wild and swing. But he listens. His focus is on my voice. Every fight he listens very well, and he’s able to perform well.

What would a victory mean for you as a trainer?

It would be bigger than winning the world title. Everything that we’ve gone through. I’ve been mad at him. I’ve yelled at him. I’ve screamed at him. But you know, this is gonna be the night that just kills everything that happened. He’ll be on top of the world. He already knows. That’s what he’s fighting for.

I have a Rolex that I bought when I was fighting. And he always says, “I want it. I want it.” I said, “OK, give me a good win, a good fight for a world title, and you’ll have it.” So he knows I’ll give it to him when he becomes world champion. Beating Peterson, that’ll take him to his title fight. After this fight, he beats Peterson, then Brandon could call out anybody. Once he beats Peterson, he will just prove that he can beat anybody at 135.